In what has become the worst-kept secret in the paddock, we at Genuine Broaster Chicken Honda are pleased to announce that our own Jake Gagne has been called up to the world stage. Jake has been asked to help the Red Bull Honda World Superbike team in their attack on the Dry Lake Bed.

Jake Gagne has been asked to help the Red Bull Honda World Superbike team.

The assignment of Jake Gagne to the Ten Kate squad marks an emotional debut on the World Superbike level. Jake is the first rider to join the team since the recent loss of Nicky Hayden, and the gravity of the situation is not lost on anyone involved. This is a tremendous opportunity for Jake to showcase his talents on the largest possible stage. While he is no stranger to international racing, having won the International Red Bull Rookies Cup, Jake will certainly have his work cut out for him as he adjusts to the WorldSBK machine and crew.

The RoadRace Factory team is truly excited for Jake and was thrilled when all of the team’s main partners supported this idea. While Jake enjoys a new set of leathers for the weekend and a nice garage, we will be participating in round six of the MotoAmerica Championship, along with former RoadRace Factory rider and fan favorite Tomas Puerta. Tomas has been back in Colombia, participating in the Colombian Championship Series, in which he has been the Superbike Champion for the last two seasons.

Jake Gagne.

“I’m just thrilled to have this opportunity,” Gagne said. “I have to give a massive thank-you to Genuine Broaster Chicken Honda and all of our amazing sponsors for fully supporting me in this endeavor. It’s not every day this kind of opportunity comes about, so we are all focused on making the most of it. I hope to do America proud and do Nicky proud.

“A huge thank-you to Ten Kate and Red Bull Honda for considering me for this,” he continued, “and I’m really looking forward to learning from one of the most prestigious teams around. It was a really tough call to drop out of the MotoAmerica races, but after the last couple weeks of small bumps, I want to give my full focus and energy to learning all the new bits and pieces of the WorldSBK.

“It will be surreal heading out for my first couple laps on our home turf,” he concluded, “being that it’s such a special track to all of us in the U.S. and to Nicky as well.”

Team principal Danny Walker.

“We feel that this is the kind of opportunity that we work for with our riders,” said team principal Danny Walker. “We started this team to promote riders through the classes so that they could get opportunities such as this and have them fully prepared when the time comes to excel. Working with the Ten Kate team through this process has been a joy, and we are truly excited for Jake. We will certainly be watching and cheering him on from the sidelines!

“We are also pretty excited to have Tomas back under our canopy for this race,” Walker said. “He’s been racing superbike in Colombia. Tomas has always gone very well at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, and we are thrilled to bring him back for this weekend.”

Superbike rider Tomas Puerta.

“I’m really excited about this news!” Puerta exclaimed. “I could not wait any more to be back racing in MotoAmerica and even more with a team that has helped me a lot over the years and we’ve shared a lot of great memories.

“Racing in Colombia has been really good,” he explained. “I just broke the track record again three weeks ago. We have a program that’s close to the Red Bull Rookies Program, where there are 12 kids involved, and I’ve been put in charge of that. So it’s been great, and I’m thankful for all the companies and people that are making that program happen for the kids and I.

“I want to thank all the Genuine Broaster Chicken Honda RoadRace Factory team for giving me this opportunity to ride with them for one more race weekend!” he added. “I’m ready and excited to be there once again. I also want to thank everyone here in Colombia that stopped their projects for a week and trust me to go race once more in the U.S. for a weekend.”